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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. land — to come down
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. fall — the season
  9. perch — the fish
  10. file — a line of people
  11. fall — to drop
  12. file — a document
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ball — a great time
  17. land — a country
  18. stem — to come from
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. file — a tool
  23. ball — a dance
  24. land — ground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com